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Food Safety on Cooking Shows--Do You Cringe When Chefs Lick Their Fingers?

OK, so it's just TV. So whoever your favorite celebrity chef is, you probably don't stress out too much when you see them lick the spoon, or forget to wash the lettuce, or go from touching raw chicken to handling dinner rolls. But doesn't it make you a little squeamish anyway? And, according to a recent study of food safety practices on Food Network cooking shows, there's a lot of finger licking going on.

Researchers at Texas Tech University recently set out to be kitchen spies, so to speak. Over a two-week period in 2007, they viewed 49 Food Network cooking shows including Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray, The Essence of Emeril, Everyday Italian, and Paula's Home Cooking.

The results: 460 poor food-handling incidents and 118 positive food-safety behaviors. According to the research, Paula Deen was one of the big offenders (oh Paula, I still love you!). One of the researchers told the food blog The Food Section that she "improperly sampled food or licked her fingers the most with 20 observations in nine shows."

Does it bother you when you see a TV chef be a little lax on food safety?

Photo: Getty

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Sarah JioHealth and fitness writer. Lover of running, Nespresso, Lululemon, and all things French. Mama. New York Times best-selling author. Sometime insomniac.